More historic than 14% of U.S. towns · #126 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Violet was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1980.
The Violet post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 11,678 in 19802020 census: 5,758136 years
How did Violet get its name?
Violet was named by canal booster Albert Covington Janin, after his wife Violet Blair Janin, a Washington, D.C. socialite and part of the influential Blair family for whom the Blair House across from the White House in Washington D.C. is named.
How historic is Violet?
D
More historic than 14% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Violet is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #126 of 161 in Louisiana. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Violet’s overall grade.
Louisiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Louisiana town has 3.8 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Violet’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (21% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be D. The pre-1940 share (±1.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Violet’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area now known as Violet was originally part of the Livaudais Plantation. Violet sprang up after the development of the Violet Canal. It was named by canal booster Albert Covington Janin, after his wife Violet Blair Janin, a Washington, D.C. socialite and part of the influential Blair family for whom the Blair House across from the White House in Washington D.C. is named. Albert Janin spent his youth in St. Bernard Parish in the large Janin family home. His father, Louis Janin Sr., a prominent lawyer who had immigrated from France to New Orleans in 1828, sent his sons to Europe for their education, including Albert. Albert was a partner with his father's law firm, including the office in Washington, D. C., where he remained after marrying into the Blair family. His and Violet's life together is told in Virginia Jean Laas's book, Love and Power in the Nineteenth Century, the Marri…
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Violet post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Violet rank for history?
Violet is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #126 of 161 in Louisiana. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Violet?
0.9% of Violet’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1984.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (9), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1880
1972
2012
2010
2006
2004
